Innovation funding opportunities
Looking for funding and support to develop your idea? At Innovate UK Business Connect, we connect businesses, researchers and innovators with the right opportunities they need to grow.
Explore opportunities for funding and expert guidance, to help turn your innovation into a commercial success.
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Sectors:
Next Wave: Breakthrough Wave 1
Opens: 23/06/2026
Closes: 11/08/2026
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £10m for industrial research projects to explore industrial strategy aligned Createch innovation.
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DRIVE35: Scale Up Fund
There is no submission deadline
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £150 million, to create scale up manufacturing facilities for zero emission vehicle technologies.
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Contracts for Innovation: Earlier identification of UK children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Opens: 23/06/2026
Closes: 05/08/2026
Organisations can apply for a share of £2.5m inclusive of VAT to develop innovations that enable earlier, fairer, more reliable identification of special educational needs (SEN) in contexts where existing market solutions underperform or do not operate.
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Horizon Europe 2026-27: Horizontal Actions - Bridging Actions
Various closing dates between January and June 2027
A series of topics aiming to facilitate a smooth transition between Horizon Europe 2021–2027 and the next EU R&I Framework Programme, Horizon Europe 2028–2034.
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Horizon Europe 2026-27: Horizontal actions - Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society
Opens: 06/10/2026
Closes: 16/09/2027
Supporting R&I activities dedicated to biodiversity across pillar II of Horizon Europe, with up to €50m for the largest projects.
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Horizon Europe Chips Joint Undertaking 2026
Various closing dates to 31 March 2027
Topics under the CHIPS-JU work programme, with up to €70m available for the largest projects
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3rd UK-Switzerland Bilateral Call for Joint Innovation Projects
Opens: 01/07/2026
Closes: 03/09/2026
Bilateral call to strengthen Swiss-UK innovation collaboration in Semiconductors, Life Sciences, or Engineering Biology.
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HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Upgradeable sensors to rapidly detect chemical and biological hazards
Opens: 22/06/2026 Closes: 23/07/2026
HMGCC Co-Creation are offering up to £60k to develop next-generation sensors to enhance our ability to detect a broad range of chemical and biological substances in real-time.
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Decarbonising operational fleet and tools for gas network operations
Opens: 16/06/2026
Closes: 28/07/2026
Cadent Gas Ltd is seeking innovative vehicle, on board power and compatible tool solutions to enable the transition from diesel-powered operational fleet vehicles to low or zero emission alternatives.
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NHS Cancer Programme - Innovation Open Call 4
Opening Sep 2026; closing date tbc
Applications are invited for innovations that focus on productivity and supporting the NHS to meet Cancer Waiting Times, as well as innovations that support the earlier detection and diagnosis of cancer.
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Robotics Adoption Central Convening Body summer 2026
Opens: 10/06/2026
Closes: 08/07/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million for creating a central convening body to coordinate the robotics adoption hubs. Funding is from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
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Consumer Led Flexibility for the Clean Energy Superpower Mission
Opens: 10/06/2026
Closes: 26/08/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £25 million for pre-commercialisation projects to develop solutions that enable flexible loads to be better utilised in energy system operation.
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Global Incubator Programme: Seabed to Space Dual-Use Technologies, Canada
Opens: 08/06/2026
Closes: 24/07/2026
Innovate UK seeks up to eight innovative UK companies with dual-use civilian & military tech within the national security, defence, and marine technology sectors to join our tailored 12-month incubation programme delivered in partnership with COVE, a global innovation hub located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Innovation Loans Expression of Interest
There is no submission deadline
UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprises can submit an Expression of Interest for loans for close to market innovative projects with strong commercial potential. They must significantly improve the UK economy and drive societal benefit.
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ACTASAP Pilot Phase 1
Opens: 04/06/2026
Closes: 28/07/2026
UK registered academic institutions can apply for up to £32,000 each to take part in ACTASAP, an accelerator to bring academic research to market.
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Full ADOPT Grant: Round 8
Opens: 04/06/2026
Closes: 29/07/2026
Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a share of up to £5 million for on-farm trial and demonstration projects, to improve adoption of new ideas or solutions in the agricultural sector.
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Scaling Supply Chains for Quantum Enabled Sensing and PNT
Opens: 03/06/2026
Closes: 08/07/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £32.8 million for collaborations developing the supply chain for quantum enabled sensing. This funding is from Innovate UK.
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Future Leaders Fellowships: Round 11, business and non-academic
Opens: 22/06/2026
Closes: 04/11/2026
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £110 million to deliver ambitious research and innovation and develop future leaders. This funding is from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
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ARIA: Future Proofing Our Climate and Weather
Opens: 01/06/2026
Closes: 31/07/2026
Funding of up to £500,000 for early-stage research that explores new pathways for climate adaptation and resilience.
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NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) 2027 cohort
Opens: 01/06/2026
Closes: 03/07/2026
DIANA seeks cutting-edge and mature technological solutions to critical defence and security challenges through public challenge calls.
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ADOPT Facilitator Support Grant: Round 9
Opens: 29/05/2026
Closes: 08/07/2026
Farming, growing or forestry businesses based in England can apply for a grant of £2,500, to engage an external Project Facilitator to support the development of a Full ADOPT Grant application.